The head of service said that the implementation of the new minimum wage in the state had also compounded the problems “since civil servants now retire with enhanced benefits”.

“As at June 2013, the backlog of unpaid gratuities stood at a staggering sum of N7, 403,108,037.94,” he said.

Pointing out that the state government spent N245 million monthly on the payment of pensions, Ahua
disclosed that the state government was exploring the possibility of implementing the contributory pension scheme as one of the ways of addressing the problem in the future.